contrasts:

Larry Shoemaker quoted an Old Testament verse and brought a flashlight to council chambers because, he said, an earthquake and power outage would strike if the city recognized same-sex marriage. Shoemaker said he'd been fearing retribution since 1976, when he moved closer to "the fruits and nuts and freaks of San Jose."

"All I want to do is take care of my family," Tina Salas said. "When I leave this earth, I don't want a hospital to tell my spouse and kids to leave my side because they don't have the rights and benefits to be there."